According to respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have not made any contact with Barcelona over signing Jules Kounde during the ongoing transfer window.
The London giants recently suffered a huge blow with Jurrien Timber sustaining a serious knee injury. The Dutchman will have a surgery after the setback and he could miss the majority of the current campaign.
As a result, Arsenal could invest on another versatile defender before the transfer deadline, but Romano does not believe Kounde will be the player as he is currently happy at Barcelona and would cost a lot of money.
He told Caught Offside: “I’m aware there have been some reports of Arsenal looking at Jules Kounde as someone to replace Jurrien Timber. My understanding, however, is that both Xavi and Kounde have always been very clear, they want to keep going together at Barca, so at the moment the situation is quiet. In any case, Kounde would cost lot of money; not a cheap deal at all. I’m not aware of concrete contacts at this stage.”
Difficult deal
Arsenal suffered an unfortunate setback on the opening day of the new Premier League season. Timber sustained an anterior cruciate knee ligament damage at the start of the second half. He is now out for six months.
With his long-term absence, the club will need another quality signing to fill the void. Kounde could do the job with his inability to play at centre-back and right-back, but he is clearly content to continue with Barcelona.
Last season, he had some concerns over playing out of position at right-back, but manager Xavi Hernandez has sorted that by playing him at the heart of the defence during the first two games of the new La Liga campaign.
The Catalans could be open to a big-money sale amid their financial problems, but they could look for a good profit on the £42 million fee paid to sign him from Sevilla last year. Arsenal may not afford the fee.
Mikel Arteta’s side could look for a short-term fix or a low-cost replacement rather than breaking the bank.
